Why I Came to Ethiopia

I feel like I should have prefaced this journey by saying something like this:

"I'm going on a trip. Often people take trips to foreign lands to build orphanages or conduct religious meetings. This trip will be different. I am going on this trip to collect and share what I can learn about GHNI, the effectiveness of their method and the stories of the villages they serve.

I will be paying my own way. Prepare to hear stories of successes, of failures and of moments of learning for myself, the village and GHNI. If I end up building, helping, or teaching, I will be thankful, however that is not the primary mission of this trip."

I'm here to report.
To tell Global Hope village sponsors that their money is being well spent. I'm here to advocate. To tell you that the villages are in this, they want partnership with GHNI. I'm here to take pictures. I'm trying my best to learn how to be a photo-journalist.

This is my mission, my purpose, my dream. It's what I want to do for the rest of my life. Report. Advocate. Inspire.

And so I am happy to report that the town of Hurso now has school buildings with enough capacity to meet the requirements of Compassion International. If their application paperwork is accepted, soon 250 children will be up for sponsorship and if chosen, will receive additional schooling, food for themselves and their families, and wellness education and medical treatment.

GHNI helped to make that possible.
I'm excited to advocate for children like this. Children with so much potential in front of them. Children who, after seeing photos of my two boys, were able to speak just above a whisper, telling me their names and smiling.
I hope I have inspired you, with words and pictures, to shift the direction of your life a little closer to helping the less fortunate, whether here in Ethiopia, or around the world.

We can send money to help those on the ground, doing the dirty work right here in Dire Dawa. We can network together to find solutions to complex water situations and agriculture dilemmas. We can tell our friends about the work being done here and encourage them to read and be inspired.

It's really not too much to ask.

It's why I came to Ethiopia.

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To learn more about the village we are focusing our sponsorship efforts on, click here. We're working on water solutions and transportation for our local staff. You can help!